Editor’s Notes: Triple 9 is currently out in wide theatrical release.
Atlanta, Georgia. Broad daylight. The oppressive sun pervades the streets, as blinding as the interrogation lamp of many a past noir. A Special Forces truck invades the frame, parking aside a bank, before unleashing a kinetic tirade of misspent greed in the form of five desperate men without an option in sight. The ensuing robbery is presented in a blur of Michael Mann-like digital poetry; every shot emboldened by a raw, effervescent energy that proves utterly hypnotic. The bandits escape into the bustling highway, until a smoke bomb releases a seemingly endless billow of reddish hellfire. This is the first in a series of highly orchestrated action scenes, each as nerve-shreddingly tense as the last, that combine to form Triple 9.
For as long as there have been stories worth telling, audiences have revelled in the clandestine exploits of the criminal underclass.
For as long as there have been stories worth telling, audiences have revelled in the clandestine exploits of the criminal underclass. From the legend of Robin Hood to the wily intelligence of Danny Ocean, it seems we as a people seek escapism through the anti-establishment sentiments inherent to great movie thieves. John Hillcoat’s Triple 9 removes much of this glamorisation for a brutal, intense and pervasively brooding crime drama. In a clever subversion of black-and-white archetypes, this is less a “cops and robbers” story than a “cops are robbers” one. Hillcoat posits that the tough reality of law enforcement and modern-day capitalism has all but erased the world’s moral clarity. Along his sprawling anthology, interweaving stories collide and contrast to dizzying effect.
The aforementioned ill-fated schemists are a mismatched collage of corrupt police officers, ex-Spec Ops professionals and Aaron Paul, sporting the most unfathomably ill-judged haircut since the mullet (to which Paul’s own “style” owes a debt). Their nominal leader is Mark Atwood (Oscar-winner Chiwetel Ejiofor, excellent as always), whose previous involvement with the Russian mafia threatens the future of his young son, now an adopted member of The Family. Woody Harrelson channels his True Detective role as alcoholic masochist Sergeant Jeffrey Allen. Allen is in charge of investigating the heist, though much of his attention is designated to rookie nephew Chris (Casey Affleck, almost comically po-faced throughout).
Once the initial whiplash of Winslet incredible transformation ceases to belie the urgent stakes her character lives to embody, she is a palpably terrifying Lady Macbeth figure.
The omniscient threat underlying it all is ruthless, callous mob boss Irina Vlaslov, as played by classy Oscar-winner Kate Winslet in a thick Russian accent. Once the initial whiplash of Winslet incredible transformation ceases to belie the urgent stakes her character lives to embody, she is a palpably terrifying Lady Macbeth figure. Unpredictable, vicious and jaw-droppingly measured, Winslet is a revelation; the shimmering jewel in a crown of magnificent performances.
Given Triple 9’s vast canvas of players and plotlines, it was all but inevitable that certain stories would be awarded less development than others. Every individual cog in this expansive wheel works proficiently enough, but few truly stand out as exceptional. This leaves a gaping hole where much empathy would lie, had it felt earnt. Alas, what keeps Triple 9 from transcending beyond solidly entertaining into something approaching greatness, is excessive ambition. In a blockbuster landscape full of sure-fire hits and commercial tripe, it’s a real shame to see such a competently constructed thriller as this flounder through punching above its weight.
Triple 9 is bold, expansive, ambitious filmmaking: a true epic in human proportions. The disparate elements may not fuse into a perfect whole, but there is enough human drama, gripping action and shocking flashes of violence in the movie’s sprightly 115 minutes to satisfy a whole season of TV drama.
Triple 9 is bold, expansive, ambitious filmmaking: a true epic in human proportions. The disparate elements may not fuse into a perfect whole, but there is enough human drama, gripping action and shocking flashes of violence in the movie’s sprightly 115 minutes to satisfy a whole season of TV drama.
